The National League for Democracy (NLD) is seeking to negotiate “democratic reform” with the Burmese generals if they will establish a constitution review committee, a NLD spokesperson said on Tuesday. (more…)

Ashin Gambira, the detained leader of the All Burmese Monk’s Alliance (ABMA), did not appear for trial on Monday because of illness, his lawyer said on Tuesday. (more…)

One of the largest insurgent groups in Burma denied rumors that they are working out cease-fire agreement with the military government. (more…)

Prominent 88 Generation Student member Nilar Thein and other group members attended a hearing in Insein prison’s special court yesterday, according to a source from the legal society. (more…)

Myanmar official media Tuesday stressed the important role of school teachers in producing human resources capable of facing and overcoming the challenges of knowledge age in the 21st Century. (more…)

A soldier from the Burmese Army’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 757 based in Hmawbe Township of Rangoon Division, reportedly committed suicide on Saturday after allegedly killing his commander, local residents said. (more…)

A soldier from the Burmese Army’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 757 based in Hmawbe Township of Rangoon Division, reportedly committed suicide on Saturday after allegedly killing his commander, local residents said. (more…)

Myanmar’s army and their allies the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have launched an offensive against Karen refugees in the border region with Thailand, an aid organization said Tuesday. Speaking from the border town Mae Sot in northern Thailand, Help Without Frontiers, an Italian-based organization aimed at helping refugees of the long-running Karen insurgency, said several villages have been overrun already. (more…)

Bangladesh will procure 100,000 tons of rice from Myanmar on a regular basis as Dhaka mooted several proposals to expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation with Yangon. (more…)

MYANMAR is inviting other ASEAN members to come together to protect the region’s cultural heritage – by cracking down on the illegal trade and smuggling of antiques. (more…)

Burma’s second ranking official has arrived in Bangladesh for talks that will focus on border issues and a possible land leasing deal for Bangladeshi farmers. (more…)

Migrant workers in Malaysia have formed a Mon Labour Rights Promotion Network (MLRPN) on October 2, 2008 and elected a working committee to work for the rights of migrant workers. (more…)

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday he would drop plans to make a long talked-about visit to Myanmar unless he is confident it would achieve tangible results in promoting democracy. (more…)

The Members of Parliament Union (Burma), an exiled group of elected MPs who are heading the campaign to challenge the credentials of the Burmese military junta at the United Nations, have said that they are not deterred by the initial negative response from the UN, and that they would “intensify” their drive to have the junta denied recognition by the world body. (more…)

In May, Cyclone Nargis left nearly 140,000 people dead or missing in Burma, while the Government severely restricted international assistance.1 More recently, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe cut off international assistance, apparently to manipulate an election but leaving millions without food aid or medical care. The global community has a long and sad history of exalting human rights in the abstract but failing to protect them in practice. When political leaders wilfully block vital humanitarian aid to their people, they violate international human rights and potentially commit a crime against humanity. Such violations give the international community a legal right of intervention, with force if necessary. While intervention is best pursuant to authorisation from the UN Security Council, without such authorisation regional organisations or individual nations should prioritise the survival of large populations over the sovereignty claims of despotic leaders. (more…)

Former political prisoner U Win Tin returned to work with the National League for Democracy yesterday, less than two weeks after his release from prison. U Win Tin had been held for more than 19 years when he was released on 23 September. In an interview with DVB the day before his return to work, U Win Tin said he was happy to do whatever duties the party demanded of him and called for engagement and discussion between all organisations and parties. (more…)